Copyright Registration

Now that I have Another Shot published, it's time to register it with the Copyright Office. My work is copyrighted as soon as I write it, but this gives me additional legal protection. Besides, I can't tell you how amazing it is to receive an official copyright certificate in the mail!

So how do I do this? Most of it can be done online, which is convenient, and I completed the first two steps this morning. First I went to www.copyright.gov and selected the eCO Login option. Since I had already signed up for Outsider, I merely had to log back in using the same login and password (it's a good thing I keep all this information where I can find it again because it had been eleven months since the last time I signed in). At this point, I selected the option that I was registering a single work with a single author. After that, I proceeded through a series of pages that asked me for various information, such as the title of the work, when it was published, my name and address, who is the claimant, who gives permission for use, etc. Most of it consisted of me filling in my name and address several times.

Step two was payment of a small fee for the registration. This costs less if you do it online than if you choose to register by mail.

Now all I have left is to send in my two copies. This is called Mandatory Deposit, a rule that states that two copies of the best edition of the work must be submitted to the Copyright Office within three months of publication (and within 30 days of registration online). These two copies are for the use of the Library of Congress. I don't know if you've ever been to the Library of Congress, but it's an impressive place ... and the thought of one or two of my books residing in that building is downright incredible.

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

(I don't know for sure that my books will be kept there, but it's possible, and that's enough for me.)

So that's it! It's not too hard. They say I should allow several months before I receive the certificate. I think with Outsider it took about three months.

While I'm waiting, it's back to selling. Stay tuned for more news on this front and please tell everyone you know about the Penumbra series. Thanks for reading!